Speech #710223662

The bill greatly extends the power of arrest of American citizens. and its aim as is discussed in the hearings is to promote arrest and holding of American citizens on suspicion until some other crime can be proved against them. The bill was never referred to the Secretary of Commerce for report as should have been done. as it proposes changes in the navigation laws. whose enforcement is vested in the Department of Commerce. The bill was never referred to the House Judiciary Committee. although it legislates a new crime and greatly increases the power of arrests by border patrolmen in the interior of the country. which is a bad public policy and which. as disclosed in the hearings. has met with resistance by both American citizens and American officials in the interior of the country. The bill vitally changes the navigation laws of 1912. exempting yachts under 15 tons burden from customs inspection when they visited contiguous cointries and have not purchased dutiable merchandise. It also repeals two tariff provisions of the act of 1922 which were wisely put in the law. Yet the bill was never referred to the Merchant Marine and Fisheries Committee for consideration of repeal of the navigation laws or to the Ways and Means Committee for repeal of the tariff provisions. You may consider the unification of the immigration border patrol and the customs border patrol a good measure. as most Members undoubtedly will. but also on grounds of public policy they should object to the punitive and persecution features which have been slipped into the bill. The smuggling of aliens is already a crime. as is the smugg!ing of merchandise. Laws already on the books provide for "report at immigration and customs offices where there is entry of aliens of foreign merchandise. The bill should not be thrown on tihe floor in Its present condition. as it will be difficult to amend. The report of the Treasury Department expressly stipulates that while there shall be over 200 new ports of entry on the Canadian and Mexican borders there shall be none on the fifteen hundred miles of border from Ogdensburg.